Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Taking flaxseed by mouth during pregnancy is POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Flaxseed can act like the hormone estrogen. Some healthcare providers worry that this might harm the pregnancy, although to date there is no reliable clinical evidence about the effects of flaxseed on pregnancy outcomes. The effect of flaxseed on breast-fed infants is unknown at this time. Stay on the safe side, and don’t use flaxseed if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/991.html

I was told to avoid it while bf-ing. There have been some instances of overdose which is really kind of scary. I will stick with fish oil pills.

LiveStrong has absolutely no credibility as a source for health information. As an example, check out this article on "flipping" your baby to get her to sleep. Mmmmkay.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/184661-how-to-flip-baby-over-to-get-him-to-sleep/

Anonymous wrote:I started eating a couple tablespoons of flax each day mid-way through my pregnancy...all I know is that it made me feel good (skin feels healther, the plumming works better, etc.), so I go with that.

All of this. The WISDOM diet actually recommends 1-2 T. of ground flax per day.

FWIW, I have found all of the LiveStrong pregnancy information to be fear-mongering and extremely off-putting, so I try to stay away from that site as a source.

It makes me want to go someplace and have a Coke and a cigarette (just kidding)

^^LOL!^^

I started eating a couple tablespoons of flax each day mid-way through my pregnancy...all I know is that it made me feel good (skin feels healther, the plumming works better, etc.), so I go with that.

And of course, you can find just as many studies saying that the Omega 3 acids are so important for baby's health and flaxseed oil and ground flaxseed are a great way to get them...argh! It's just all too much sometimes. It makes me want to go someplace and have a Coke and a cigarette (just kidding)

Thanks for all the helpful replies, ladies

I feel a sense of "worry exhaustion" at times over this pregnancy -- there are SO MANY THINGS I could be worried about.

Yes, this is how I am feeling too. I am TTC and doing lots of reading and research in preparation and there are just so many things everyone says to DEFINITELY DO or DEFINITELY NOT DO. It just struck me as strange that something with such seemingly great health benefits could be a potential risk with so little information out there and no real conclusions. I am terrified to do something that would result in harm, of course, but I am hoping this is one of those things where it is fine in moderation.

Huh! Interesting links -- thanks so much for sharing them. I'm not sure what to make of it...is this a warning that is coming from an excess of caution or is there really something of concern here. I guess I wonder what they might consider to be "excess consumption."

This may not be a good attitude, but I feel a sense of "worry exhaustion" at times over this pregnancy -- there are SO MANY THINGS I could be worried about. I think I'll just keep up with the flaxseed, because I haven't had contractions or bleeding up till now and if nothing else, it helps keep me regular. I can understand completely, however, another woman making a different choice.

Anonymous wrote:I've been encouraged to eat about two tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily.

+1

I've used flaxseed oil for years and years and during both pregnancies. It's a great source of Omega 3 and it's also one of the few things that keeps me "regular" when I'm pregnant and having some of those related GI issues.

This explains some of the debate: http://www.livestrong.com/article/402078-ground-flaxseed-during-pregnancy/

Apparently, some studies have shown that it can act like estrogen in the body which can cause bleeding or contractions. But other sites say that those studies are really focused on excessive consumption of flax. I am just curious whether anyone has actually been explicitly advised not to use it, or whether it's just much ado about nothing.

Sure thing!

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/991.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/NS_patient-flaxseed/DSECTION=safety

Oh, and to answer your question, no, I have not been advised by my doctors to avoid flaxseed oil or ground flaxseed. I've been encouraged to eat about two tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily.

Could you share what information you've seen from Mayo Clinic or NIH that suggests it may be potentially unsafe? I'm not familiar with that guidance.

There was a forum post about this over a year ago, and I am curious to see whether anyone has gotten any recent guidance on the topic. It seems like there are so many health benefits to adding a small amount of ground flaxseed to your diet every day for Omega-3 and DHA as well as aiding digestion, but there are also some vague cautions from NIH/Mayo Clinic about it being potentially unsafe. Has anyone been advised by their doctor NOT to use flax oil or ground flaxseed?